Prisms of No Color
by Crystal Rose of Pollux
Summary: Something is very wrong with the Time Vortex, and as the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe make an emergency landing in an extraterrestrial human colony, their problems only go from bad to worse. Further complicating matters is an old foe, bent on revenge.
1. A World that Glitters Glibly

_Notes: The characters aren't mine, and the story is! This is a pre-War Games piece featuring Two, Jamie, and Zoe… along with a previous one-time villain who will be showing up in the next chapter._

* * *

"Doctor! Doctor, can ye tell Zoe to stop going on about me wearing something other than a kilt?"

"I was just saying that there are several occasions where wearing a kilt just isn't practical—you'd be much better off wearing trousers!"

"If I handled running through the moors of the Highlands in a kilt, I think I'll be just fine!"

"You are so stubborn Jamie," Zoe muttered. "You may find it easier with trousers, you know. And what if we're being chased by aliens over rugged terrain? A kilt may impede your running speed."

"My running speed is fine," Jamie insisted. "The Doctor and I have been running from aliens long before we met ye, over all kinds of terrain, and I never once dragged us down. Right, Doctor?"

The Doctor, who had been silently watching the argument between the young Scot and the even younger girl, now ducked behind the console of the TARDIS, as though he could avoid the situation altogether by hiding.

"Doctor…!" two voices chorused, amused.

"I do wish you two would leave me out of your arguments," the Gallifreyan said, briefly peering out from behind the console. "No one has to be right all the time, you know. You both have very good points, but what seems to be the best option for one would, in fact, be ill-suited for another."

"There ye are, then," Jamie said, satisfied. "Ye leave me be!"

Zoe merely shrugged her shoulders and was about to say something else, but her words were preempted by a loud, booming crack issuing from outside. She yelped in surprise as Jamie pulled out his knife, aiming it at the doors.

"We're under attack!" he exclaimed.

"No, no, no," the Doctor assured him, now getting to his feet again. "Put that away, Jamie; it's quite alright. It's not uncommon for lightning storms to occur in the Time Vortex; there's a great deal of energy in this void, you know—naturally, the excess sometimes manifests itself in ways such as this."

"As electrical energy?" Zoe asked, intrigued.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor said, eager to explain. "It's quite a simple phenomenon, really; all it takes is just—"

He was interrupted now, this time by the TARDIS suddenly lurching, and then emitting a screeching whirr.

"Steady on, Old Girl; surely it can't be as bad as all that…!" the Doctor said, placing a hand on the console.

The TARDIS whirred again, and Jamie suddenly let out a yelp.

"Doctor! The doors!"

"What's the matter with the—Oh, my word!"

Water was seeping in through the minute spaces under and between the doors; already, it was beginning to spread across the floor of the console room.

"I take it _that_ isn't supposed to happen?!" Zoe exclaimed, seeing the look on the Doctor's face.

"I'm afraid not," he replied, wringing his hands, nervously. "Oh dear, oh dear…"

The TARDIS lurched again, throwing Jamie and Zoe off of their feet; the Doctor had an arm around each of them in an instant to break their falls as the central column on the console began to rise and fall. Soon, the more familiar _vwoorp-vwoorp-vwoorp_ sound filled the room, signifying that they were coming in for a landing—and a rather violent one, by the feel of it.

"What have you done!?" Zoe cried, as the three of them were thrown across the console room again and into the far wall.

"It's out of my hands!" the Doctor exclaimed. "The TARDIS hates getting wet; she's getting us out of the Vortex—an emergency landing!"

The TARDIS shook once more, and then calmed down. The water had stopped seeping in through the doors, as well.

"Well, then," the Gallifreyan said, after looking around the console room in some trepidation. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Zoe glanced at the Doctor in disbelief as Jamie responded with a dark look, rubbing his elbow on the spot where he had collided with the wall.

"Yes, well… at least it's over now," the Doctor said. "Right—let's see where we are, shall we?"

He crossed to the doors, but frowned as they refused to open.

"Has the water damaged the doors?" Zoe asked, worriedly.

"No, it couldn't have!" he exclaimed. "It would take much more than that to damage these doors—they've withstood the onslaught of armies! I can't understand…" He trailed off as the TARDIS whirred again, and he glanced at all the water on the floor. "Oh, I see…"

Jamie and Zoe stared in utter befuddlement as the Doctor now headed down the corridor. He returned to the console room within minutes, carrying mops and buckets.

"It shouldn't take too long if we all pitch in," the Doctor said, cheerfully.

"Ye must be joking," Jamie said.

"Jamie, I told you, the TARDIS doesn't like getting wet. Those doors aren't going to open until all this water is mopped up."

He handed them each a mop and a bucket before proceeding to begin the cleaning, whistling an old Gallifreyan tune as he worked.

"Sometimes I wonder who's really in charge here," Zoe sighed, as she began to mop up, as well.

Jamie let out a hollow laugh.

"I don't."

* * *

Finally, after the water had been cleaned up to the TARDIS's satisfaction, the doors were opened, admitting the Doctor and his companions to the world they had landed upon. The place was rocky and Earth-like, the sky covered by thick, dark thunderheads. Rumbles of thunder echoed all around them.

Jamie would have assumed they had landed on Earth had it not been for a formation of large, clear, triangular crystals towering over the landscape about a mile from where they had landed. Every few moments, a bolt of lightning would illuminate the crystals, which were the tallest structures around.

"Look!" he exclaimed, pointing to them.

"They look like giant prisms!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Yes…" the Doctor said, fishing out his 500-year-diary from his seemingly bottomless pockets and beginning to page through it. "Unless I'm mistaken, there's only one place in the galaxy with a large crystal structure like that… Aha, just as I thought! We've landed on Neo Serenity!" He indicated the bottom of the slopes, where the lights of a city were clearly visible. "It's inhabited, as well; we must be in the 23rd century—that was when the human colony began to flourish. They'd just completed their canal system, you see—to combat the effect of the rain shadow."

"Eh?" Jamie asked. "The rain casts a shadow?"

"No," the Doctor said, with a patient smile. "Rain shadow is when moisture in the air—moisture that would fall as rain or other forms of precipitation—falls on the mountains instead of beyond them. Because very little moisture makes it past the mountains, it leads to the formation of deserts."

"They built the city in a desert?" Zoe asked. "Why would they do that?"

"They had no other choice," the Doctor said. "The mountains here were unsuitable for building a city upon, and immediately past them is the coast. This was the only place they could build. They blasted away at the mountains, breaking them down and drilling into the sides as they built their canal system."

"So when it rains on the mountains, the canals take the water to the city," Zoe finished. "Why, that's brilliant!"

"It worked quite well!" the Doctor agreed. "There are such heavy rains in the mountains during the spring and summer months, the city is able to conserve the water they need in man-made reservoirs outside the city for the rest of the year. Judging by these stormclouds, we must be right in the thick of the rainy season."

Jamie was beginning to understand, but he still found the whole thing rather overwhelming.

"So, what's the point of those things, then?" he asked, indicating the towering, triangular crystals.

"When they were blasting down the mountaintops, these were found—originally in a cavern," the Doctor said, consulting the diary. "The people constructed their first hydroelectric plant at the base of these crystals. There's another one outside the city that keeps an eye on the reservoirs, though there are multiple turbines between here and there; in that way, the water produces the extra electrical power they need to maintain their cooling systems during the summer."

"Oh, aye…"

"Well, if they're going to have water flowing to the city in canals, they might as well harness whatever electricity they can from it," Zoe said to Jamie. "It's really a very brilliant strategy—one that's completely friendly for the environment."

Her sentence was punctuated by a crack of thunder.

"If they're that brilliant, why can't they harness that power?" Jamie asked, gesturing to the sky.

"I have no doubt that they'll find a way to accomplish that, as well," the Doctor said, glancing up at the storm.

Another flash of lightning lit up the cloudy sky, and Zoe began to feel a little nervous about standing outside.

"Doctor, are you sure we're safe out here?" she asked. "I think we should go back inside the TARDIS."

"Aye, we may as well leave," Jamie said. The novelty of the crystals had worn off, and he wasn't in the mood to discuss about rain shadow or hydroelectric power.

The Doctor sighed, realizing that he was outvoted.

"Very well, then; let's see if I can get the TARDIS to cooperate."

He frowned as Jamie failed in suppressing an all-too-audible snark.

"I'll have you know, Jamie, that a situation like this happens very rarely!"

"Really?" Zoe asked, a slight chuckle to her voice.

The Doctor knew they were both just teasing him now, but, still, pride dictated that he should respond.

"Yes, really! I am perfectly capable of piloting the TARDIS flawlessly, thank you very much!"

"Och, ye could've fooled me; ye never intended for us to land here."

"Yes, well… nobody's perfect… I could hardly have anticipated such a large amount of water in the Time Vortex…" The Doctor trailed off as a realization suddenly struck him. He stopped in his tracks and glanced down at the ground, taking note of the fact that he and the others were leaving footprints in the dusty ground. "Hold on just a moment. This ground is dry—too dry for the middle of the rainy season. Meanwhile, we ended up here because of water in the Vortex."

"Are you saying there's some sort of a connection?" Zoe asked.

A bolt of lightning now struck one of the tall crystals. For an instant, the crystal glowed from the electricity, and its clear interior was completely alight. Within the clear crystal was a most unearthly sight—a colorless, dark mass that still seemed to glow. Jamie and Zoe stared at it, puzzled, and the both of them turned to glance at the Doctor as a horrified gasp escaped his lips.

"What is it?" Jamie asked.

"Did you see that?!" the Gallifreyan asked, his eyes wide in shock. "Did you see that glow inside?"

"I see it, but I don't believe it!" Zoe said. "It's almost like a black light—dark, but glowing…"

"That is energy—pure time energy from the Vortex!" the Doctor exclaimed.

Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky, and, this time, the Doctor indicated a swirling object in the sky.

"Look at that—but don't look directly into it!"

"Is that the Vortex?" Jamie asked, his eyes widening.

"An opening to it, yes—I believe this is what caused the water to flood the Vortex—the water that should be raining here is, instead, being absorbed into the Vortex—and displacing time energy into these crystals as a result! The Vortex is being drained of time energy because of all of this!"

"Aye, that's too bad," Jamie said, folding his arms. "I guess it means ye'll ne'er pilot the TARDIS flawlessly again…"

"This is no time for jokes, Jamie!" the Doctor chided the Scot. "It's far more serious than that! Every second the rain doesn't fall here means that more water is entering the Vortex—and more time energy is being displaced into the crystals!"

Jamie and Zoe looked to him in confusion, and it became clear that they could not grasp the full scope of the situation.

"The TARDIS depends on the energy of the Vortex to travel through it," the Doctor explained. "And she detests water with a vengeance! Unless we find a way to stop this displacement of water and time energy, we're going to be stranded here!"


	2. The Unsuspecting City

_Notes: Spoilers for the classic serial "The Enemy of the World" from here on out._

* * *

The city of Neo Serenity was a bustling metropolis, though the recent drought, which had been ongoing for nearly three months into the rainy season, had already begun to take its toll. The greenhouses were struggling to grow produce, leading to a food shortage. Severe rationing restrictions—for both the existing food and water supplies—had been imposed by their new leader.

The leader had shown up a couple months before the drought had started—the odd formation in the sky had opened up over the crystals on the mountain, and this man had fallen from it. A group of hikers had found him and had brought him back to the city, where it had turned out that he was from another time and place.

But, more than that, when the drought started and concern began to grow over how the people were to survive, it was this man who found the solution—he commissioned the construction of a machine that could, in theory, manipulate the weather. The machine had been built at the base of the crystals on the mountain. It was at this point, when the preliminary tests succeeded in creating small rain showers, that the people wasted no time in having him lead them.

And now, three months into the drought, Ramon Salamander was the most powerful man in Neo Serenity.

Despite being the most powerful man on a planet once again, Salamander was irked. He had wielded far more power on Earth… until that strange man in that equally strange box had arrived—the man who shared the same face as him. The Doctor, he was called. Salamander had cursed that man a thousand times over; because of him, he had lost everything and had been sent into the Time Vortex. Salamander had no idea how long he had been trapped in that void; the only thing he knew was that he was now free, and in charge once again of a populace who blindly followed whatever he said.

He was maintaining his hold on Neo Serenity carefully—allowing tiny amounts of rain to fall when people pleaded and screamed for relief from the drought. He knew the machine had the full capability to ease the drought altogether, but he had quickly discovered that having the populace at his mercy was far more appealing. And there was also the fact that he was reluctant to go anywhere near the opening of the Vortex—for fear that he would be pulled back inside the void. As a result, the machine only drew small amounts of water from the atmosphere, while displacing the rest into the open Vortex.

Salamander glanced out of the window of his office. The crystals and the opening above them were visible. It was his hope that the displacement of the water would render the Vortex incapable of ever absorbing him back again. If there was some way to ensure that, then he could, possibly, make expansions to the weather machine and increase its capabilities to further show off to the populace of Neo Serenity and ensure that his power would not fade.

The intercom on his desk buzzed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Salamander?" his secretary's voice asked. "There's someone here to see you—"

"If it is regarding food and water rations, tell them that I intend to address the situation in a televised press conference later this evening," Salamander responded. One thing that hadn't changed in the 23rd century was the impact of the media; once again, he had learned to use it to his advantage.

"No, Mr. Salamander," the secretary said. "It's a hiker who just returned from the mountains; he says he saw something incredibly strange, and he says he simply must talk to you about it."

Salamander's thoughts turned immediately towards the Vortex. Had it somehow changed? Was it a sign that it would be coming after him? Regardless of what it was, he knew he had to know.

"Very well; show him in."

The hiker was still in his gear, a frantic look on his face.

"Mr. Salamander!" he exclaimed. "You'll never believe what I saw up in the mountains! Never in a million years—"

"Calm down, Friend," Salamander said, pouring a small amount of bottled water into a glass.

Wordlessly, he offered the water to the hiker, who glanced at it for a moment before drinking it down as though it was an elixir. Extra water, however much it was, was always appreciated.

"Tell me what it was that seems to have distressed you," Salamander said.

The hiker finished his drink and caught his breath.

"I was up near the crystals when the lightning started, just as it has been doing—lightning, but no rain."

"Yes, I have been aware of this situation for a long time and have been taking steps to manage it."

"And we appreciate that, Mr. Salamander," the hiker said. "But there's something strange going on. I had turned around to go back once the lightning started, and that's when it appeared, out of nowhere! A large, blue box!"

Salamander's shoulders went rigid.

"What!?" he asked, as he turned to face the hiker.

The hiker nodded, pulling out a digital camera.

"I took a picture of it and ran," he said, handing the camera over.

Salamander took one look at the image of the blue police box and swore, quietly.

"Is everything going to be alright, Mr. Salamander?" the hiker asked.

"I don't know," Salamander replied. "All I can tell you is that you were wise to leave when you did; this box is highly dangerous. I will certainly take whatever measures I have to in order to eliminate this threat." He handed the rest of the water bottle to the hiker after returning the camera. "Take this; you have earned it."

"Thank you, Sir!" the hiker said, eagerly accepting the bottle.

Without a backwards glance, the man left the office, and Salamander immediately paged his secretary over the intercom.

"Yes, Mr. Salamander?"

"Get a message to the head of the militia immediately," he said. "Tell him to take a squad of men to the mountains; they will find a large, blue box, and a man who looks uncannily like me. I want this impostor—and anyone with him—brought to me immediately. Tell them to use force if they have to."

"At once, Mr. Salamander."

"And see to it that my name is not mentioned until they are brought before me!" he ordered.

"As you wish, Mr. Salamander."

Satisfied, Salamander turned his attention back to the window, glaring at the mountains, as though he could give the Doctor the evil eye from where he was standing. Of course, the Doctor would have to show up so soon after Salamander had established his position as a leader!

But things would be different this time, Salamander vowed. He had the element of surprise this time; one chance was all that he needed.

The Doctor would pay dearly for what he had done.

* * *

The Doctor, in the meantime, was nearing the base of the crystals with the intent of getting a better look at their current situation. He could only hope that the situation was reversible; the thought of being stranded in any particular time or place was simply too unpleasant to dwell on.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky above him, and he cast a nervous glance at Jamie and Zoe, who were following behind him.

"I do wish that the both of you had taken my advice and stayed behind in the TARDIS!" he chided.

"Well, I want to know more about how these crystals are affecting the Vortex," Zoe said. "It isn't just us, right? If the Time Vortex is too badly damaged, it would have an effect on everything, everywhere. Wouldn't it?"

The Doctor gave a nod.

"I… I'm afraid so, Zoe. The effects could be far-reaching and catastrophic indeed. But it's still my concern, not yours; and it certainly isn't safe for the two of you to be out here in the middle of a lightning storm!"

"I'm sure it cannae be safe for ye to be oot here, either," Jamie pointed out. "Ye have just as much talent as we have for getting into trouble—if not more! The last time we ran into a beastie—"

"Yes, yes; you've made your point, Jamie. Carry on—but do be careful, and keep as low to the ground as you can!"

The two obeyed, and the Doctor had to admit that this, at least, was preferable to the two of them wandering off to places unknown, as what usually tended to happen.

As the Doctor made his way closer to the base of the crystals, he noticed the hydroelectric building (currently closed, as the canals were dry), and then noticed the machine constructed not too far from it.

"Hello, what's this?" he murmured, as he neared it. "Temperature readings, humidity readings, barometric pressure readings…"

"It must be some sort of weather recording system," Zoe said

"Why are there settings to adjust the humidity and all the other readings?" the Doctor. "You know, I don't think this is merely for recording the weather; I do believe that this was constructed to _control_ the weather!"

"Aye, ye mean to stop the drought?" Jamie asked. "If so, it's nae working verra well, is it?"

"Obviously not. But, on the other hand…" The Doctor looked up at the crystals, and at the absorbed Vortex energy within them. "I wonder whether this is somehow intentionally done."

"Why would anyone want to use a weather machine on the Vortex?" Zoe asked. "What would the hope to gain by damaging it? You just said a moment ago that the effects would be far-reaching; it's highly likely that they would be suffering greatly from those affects if they were going to reach across all of time and space."

"I know that, and you two know that. But it's highly likely that the ones behind this contraption don't. Nor do they realize the consequences of what they have already done."

"But it _is_ reversible?" Zoe asked, not keen on being stranded here, either.

"We can only hope so…" the Doctor said. "The way I see it, we have a chance as long as the amount of time energy displaced is below what can be considered a critical point. If this critical point is reached—if too much energy is displaced…"

"…The Vortex will become completely unstable…" Zoe said.

"…Leading to a devastating chain reaction across space and time as it collapsed in upon itself," the Doctor finished, fear evident in his eyes. "A reverse Big Bang!"

Jamie just shook his head as the Doctor and Zoe conversed. The concepts were sailing over his head, and the Doctor clearly had too much on his mind to be bothered with giving him a lesson now. One thing was for certain; very bad things would happen if they didn't fix it—things that the Doctor seemed to be afraid of. And Jamie knew from experience that if the Doctor was afraid, then he and Zoe had better be, too.

The Scot was about to ask how he could aid in reversing this impending cataclysm when the sound of machinery distracted him. He glanced down the slope of the mountain to see about a dozen men speeding up the mountainside on sleek hovercrafts.

"Doctor!" he called. "Doctor, there's a—"

Jamie was cut off with a yelp as the man in the lead fired a laser gun, aiming at the ground just beneath the Scot's feet.

"Run!" the Doctor ordered, seizing Jamie and Zoe by their arms.

Laser fire erupted all around them, either at their feet or over their heads as voices ordered them to halt.

"Can we tell them we mean no harm!?" Jamie yelped.

"There is a time to reason and a time to retreat!" the Doctor exclaimed, as he guided them around the large crystals in the hope of dodging their pursuers.

Some of the hovercrafts proceeded past them, continuing in a straight line, but a few of them had spotted the trio's diversion and were still in pursuit. Beams from powerful searchlights fell upon the trio. The Doctor, his Gallifreyan sense of vision more enhanced than that of his human companions, had been the most affected by the blinding light. He let go of his companions' arms as he stumbled on the rocky ground and fell, knowing that his role had just switched to that of the decoy.

"_Doctor_!" Jamie and Zoe exclaimed.

"Keep going!" he ordered. "Don't worry about me—_go_!"

Even as he spoke, he was being roughly hauled to his feet by his captors. His vision still only beginning to clear, he had no way of knowing as to the state of his companions.

But then he heard Zoe cry out in alarm, followed by Jamie's angry yell of "_Creag an tuire_!"

As the Doctor's eyes adjusted at last, he saw the Scot attacking the man who had grabbed Zoe by the arm. His plan, careless as it was, worked; the man released Zoe and then turned his attention to Jamie as a second assailant crept up behind him.

There was no time for the Doctor or Zoe to call out a warning; the second man seized Jamie by the arm and judo-flipped him backwards. The Scot's yell of anger turned into a cry of pain as he collided with one of the crystals; for an instant, the crystal glowed brightly as Jamie made contact with it, and then the Scot's body took on the same, unearthly glow for that same instant—just before he fell to the ground, unconscious.


	3. Startled Eyes that Sometimes See

_Notes: According to Big Finish, it was the Second Doctor who first learned Venusian aikido, so I'm going to go with that…._

* * *

The sad irony to being a Time Lord, the Doctor realized, was that even though you had knowledge and abilities that other life forms could barely begin to imagine, there still would be times when you would be completely helpless—especially if the situation involved the ones you cared about.

And as he remained trapped by his captors, forced to see Jamie get thrown backwards, getting knocked unconscious after colliding with the glowing crystal, the Doctor knew this was one of those moments.

"Jamie! _Jamie_!"

The Time Lord's gaze darted from the fallen boy to the crystals as he struggled against the men holding him. That unearthly glow—he had seen that glow briefly envelop Jamie. He didn't want to think about the implications, but it was clear that this was even worse than it looked.

Zoe hadn't noticed the glow at all; it had happened much too quickly for her to see that brief instant of impact. But she was more than angered at what Jamie's assailant had done; grabbing the man's arm as he turned his attention back to her, she proceeded to throw him over her shoulder, and quickly dealt the next closest one the same treatment; he collided with the first man, dazed.

The men holding the Doctor loosened their grips on him as their attention focused on Zoe—only slightly, but it gave the Doctor the leverage he needed to free his arms. And that was all he needed.

"HAI!"

He had only recently learned Venusian aikido and hadn't had a chance to try it out in a practical situation, but now was as good a time as any—and the men's treatment of Jamie had certainly given him enough motivation to go all-out. His first captor dropped like a stone, and the second one soon followed.

Between him and Zoe, the five assailants—two of them struggling to hold onto their senses—quickly realized that they were too few in number to gain any sort of advantage. They quickly got onto their hovercrafts, the two punch-drunk ones hitching a ride.

"Doctor!" Zoe exclaimed. "Is Jamie—?"

The Gallifreyan was by the Scot's side in an instant, gently checking him for bruises and burns, of which there were neither.

"There are no marks on him," he declared. "And his pulse is normal. He's just unconscious."

"Thank goodness," Zoe sighed. "Everything is alright, then?"

The Doctor didn't respond, looking up at the crystals with trepidation.

"Well, yes, there's still that problem with the crystals and the Vortex," Zoe sighed. "But we can find an answer, can't we?"

"I don't think the problem is confined to just the crystals now," the Doctor said, going pale. "There's a lesser amount of time energy in the crystals now than there was just a few minutes ago."

"But where could it have gotten to?" Zoe asked. "Certainly not the Vortex—it would have started raining due to it displacing the water inside of it. The time energy _has_ to have gone somewhere. The law of conservation of energy clearly states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed."

"Yes… that's very true," the Doctor admitted. "And it wasn't destroyed. It was transferred."

"Transferred?" Zoe repeated. "But I don't see…" She trailed off as the Doctor looked down at the unconscious Jamie. "You aren't suggesting…"

"Zoe, did you actually see what happened when that man threw Jamie against the crystals?"

"No; by the time I turned around, he was already on the ground."

"When Jamie collided with the crystals, his body took on that same glow," the Doctor said, indicating the crystals.

"And he absorbed some of the time energy?!" Zoe exclaimed. "How is that even possible!?"

"The Vortex energy seems to be displacing water on account of this machine," the Doctor said. "And, of course, living cells are seventy percent water."

"So… Jamie's cells are filled with time energy?" Zoe asked, her eyes wide. "Is he going to be alright!?"

The Doctor gently cradled the Scot in his arms.

"We should be thankful that he only made contact with the crystals of a brief instant," he said. "Even a second longer, and he could have taken in enough energy to cause devastating cellular damage. However, even a small amount like this is still serious; we shall have to keep him properly hydrated…"

"That's going to be a challenge, seeing as though we're in the middle of a drought…" Zoe said, glumly.

The Doctor nodded and fished around in his pockets until he found a canteen. He frowned as he shook it, realizing there was only a small amount of water left.

"Well, this will have to do for now; we can get him more water once we take him back to the TARDIS," he declared, as he gently propped Jamie's head up and began to give him the water.

Reflexively, the Scot began to drink, which the Doctor took as a good sign.

"So, if we keep him hydrated, he will be fine, won't he?" Zoe asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"I… I honestly don't _know_," the Doctor admitted, helplessly. "This has never happened before; I've only heard stories and warnings from my people about the dangers of absorbing time energy. Of course, those cases were often about unfortunate individuals who absorbed considerable quantities of time energy. I'm banking on the fact that Jamie's case may not be as severe…"

The water seemed to be having an added reviving effect on the Scot. The boy winced, but began to stir.

"Jamie? Jamie, can you hear me?"

Jamie suddenly sat upright, his eyes flying open, startling both Zoe and the Doctor, who hadn't been expecting it.

"We need to run!" he exclaimed. "They've got us surrounded; we've got to get oot of here and back to the TARDIS!"

"Jamie! Jamie, calm down," the Doctor said, placing his hands on the Scot's shoulders. "We're perfectly safe; we've sent those men off."

"And forget them for the moment!" Zoe added, relieved that he seemed physically unharmed. "Jamie, how are you feeling?"

"Och, this is nae the time to talk about how we're feeling; we're being surrounded by three dozen men!" Jamie exclaimed.

"Jamie, it's just us," the Doctor insisted.

"But they're _there_!" he insisted. "Why don't ye believe me!? There's a squad coming down the mountain, a squad climbing up, and two more from each of the other sides! They mean to capture us!"

He looked back at the Doctor, and that was when the Gallifreyan saw it—the same unearthly glow that was present in the crystals was inside Jamie's eyes, albeit faintly. Slowly, the glow lessened, remaining only in the pupils of the Scot's eyes; as this happened, he began to calm down.

"Are… are ye sure they're not there?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm quite sure…" the Doctor said, still looking highly concerned and upset by what he was seeing. "But… you say you _saw_ them there?"

"Aye… Aye, I saw them, clear as day…"

He looked around, and Zoe even got to her feet to look, but there was nobody else in sight.

"There's absolutely no one else around," she declared. "You must have been dreaming just before you woke up."

"I don't think it was a dream," the Doctor said, glancing at the crystals again before looking back to Jamie. He now nodded in understanding. "Jamie, I do believe you saw a vision of the future."

"Eh?" the Scot asked, confused.

"Doctor!" Zoe chided. "You're a man of science, and you know so much about the space-time continuum; surely you know it's impossible to predict the future or to have visions like that!"

"Yes, but remember—time is relative. That applies to time energy; past, present, and future—all points—are accessible from within the Time Vortex due to this energy. And, right now, Jamie has a small amount of it in his cells—a small amount, but enough to augment his precognitive abilities."

Jamie looked to the Doctor, highly disconcerted.

"I have _what_!?"

"I'll explain in a moment," the Doctor said. "But if those men are going to be returning with reinforcements, then we shouldn't stay out here in the open. Can you walk?"

"Aye, I think so…" Jamie said, as the others helped him up.

As they found cover behind the rocks, the Doctor quickly explained what had happened, which didn't do much to ease the Scot's worries.

"Do you remember the time you dreamed about the unicorn?" the Doctor asked.

"Aye—and then we actually saw one in the Land of Fiction!"

"Was that a form of precognition, too?" Zoe asked.

"Exactly. You see, many species across the galaxies have some sort of a sixth sense," the Doctor explained. "It serves as a way to be alert to potential dangers. Sometimes, in higher species, the sixth sense manifests itself in dreams, as it did that time you dreamed about the unicorn. Usually, we dismiss these dreams until they come to pass; in hindsight, we say that you had a case of precognition. But this situation is quite different, given the circumstances. The time energy seems to have affected your sixth sense, resulting in you having that vision you just had."

He pulled a mirror from his pocket to show Jamie what had happened to his eyes. They were mostly normal now, save for the faint glow in his pupils.

"Am I bewitched!?"

"I told you, Jamie; it's the time energy. As of now, the only effects it seems to be having on you are this glow, heightened precognition, and a displacement of some of the water in your cells."

"Aye, so… what's going to happen to me now that I have this condition?" the Scot asked. "Will I be alright?"

The Doctor did not reply immediately, much to Jamie and Zoe's worry.

"Doctor…?" Zoe prompted.

"I don't know," he said again. "But I can promise you one thing, Jamie—I will do everything in my power to try to ensure that you will be. For that to work, you're going to have to trust me completely."

Jamie nodded, trembling slightly.

"Aye," he said. "Of course I trust ye."

The Gallifreyan smiled, trying to silently reassure his companion that things would be alright.

"First things first," he added, handing him the canteen. "You need to remain hydrated. That, for the moment, is the greatest danger."

Jamie nodded, taking a drink, but then nearly choked as the Doctor's words sunk in.

"For the moment!?"

"I still don't know what the long-term effects of this are," the Doctor said, running a hand through his hair. "There are things that are just not meant to be!"

Jamie lowered his gaze.

"Like me."

The Doctor immediately regretted his choice of words.

"You are most certainly meant to be," he insisted, placing a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "But you were not meant to take in time energy. But I know you well enough to say that you will make the best of whatever it brings you."

"And ye have no idea what that'll be?" Jamie asked, glumly.

"None, I'm afraid. Well, actually… This is just a guess, mind you," the Doctor said. "But one thing I can predict is that you'll probably have other visions the longer the energy remains within you."

"But that's not a bad thing, right?" Zoe asked. "Precognition sounds like it could be very useful—especially in a situation like this, where we might be stranded in an unfriendly place with people after us."

But the Doctor shook his head.

"Precognition is _not_ a blessing," he said, sternly. "I want the both of you to understand that."

Jamie just stared at him, blankly.

"I'm sorry, but I _don't_ understand," Zoe stated, and Jamie was grateful for her echoing his thoughts. "There's a lot about this situation that I don't understand, actually."

"Yes… yes, I know it's difficult to grasp. To be honest, I'm still trying to get my own head around the fact that it's happened. But the way time works…" The Doctor trailed off, his ears catching the approach of hovercrafts from all around them, as Jamie had foreseen.

He placed a finger to his lips, silently indicating for his companions to remain silent. He didn't know why these men were so persistent in their pursuit, but he knew one thing—they could not afford to be captured.


	4. Darkened Rolling Figures

The air was soon filled with the sound of the approaching hovercrafts. Slowly, the Doctor peered out from behind their cover of rocks. A flash of lightning revealed nearly two dozen men dismounting from the vehicles, each holding a laser weapon; the glow from the crystals bathed them in a strange light, the majority of their imposing figures obscured by darkness.

The Doctor ducked back down, pulling Jamie and Zoe close to him.

"How many?" Jamie whispered.

"Too many," the Doctor whispered back. "It's going to take more than Venusian aikido to deal with all of them."

Zoe shuddered.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "We didn't do a single thing wrong; we just came here for a closer look. Why would someone attack us like that?"

"There was nothing in my diary about them being aggressive," the Doctor whispered back. "I really can't understand it, either."

"Maybe we're in a restricted area?" Jamie asked.

"Can't be," Zoe said. "We'd have seen signs or a fence…"

"Shh!" the Doctor said, holding them even closer as the men drew nearer.

They all fell silent, Jamie clinging to the Doctor's arm as he usually did in situations like this. Getting attacked was nothing new; it was all part and parcel of traveling with the Doctor. But, usually, there was some reason as to why they would be attacked—especially if their attackers were human, as these were…

His thoughts began to fade, and suddenly, he was no longer thinking about the men surrounding them, but of the spot they were sitting in.

He saw a bolt of lightning… a crack of thunder… And the three of them running… running for their lives…

With a yelp, he tried to get up and run, but the Doctor's arm was still locked around him. The Time Lord quietly chided him to be quiet.

"We need to get oot of here!" Jamie protested. "We need to run!"

"We can't run; we'd never make it!" the Doctor hissed. "Now, shush; you'll give us away!"

"But—"

"_Quiet_!"

But Jamie would not sit still; he fought against the Doctor's hold.

"Jamie, for the final time… Oh, my word!"

He had glanced back at the Scot in frustration, only to see his eyes glowing brighter again, just as they had been upon his awakening—and his last vision.

Zoe let out a quiet gasp, and the Doctor now let Jamie go; the Scot moved to haul both the Doctor and Zoe to their feet. As they started running, the squad of men spotted them.

"There they are!" the one in the lead snarled. "Apprehend them at once and take them back to—"

His words were cut off as a bolt of lightning struck the spot behind the rocks were the trio had been only moments before. Thunder boomed, and Zoe cried out involuntarily, her ears ringing as the darkened figures began to rush towards them, stopping as the lightning strike shook them up.

"Keep going!" the Doctor ordered, his voice barely audible. "Run! Back to the TARDIS!"

The squad of men, also temporarily incapacitated by the proximity of the lightning strike, took a moment to realize that the trio had made progress with their escape. They ran for their hovercrafts, a few of the firing their lasers over the trio as warnings.

"Don't look back!" the Doctor ordered, as he saw Zoe attempting to do so. "Keep going! And for pity's sake—stay with me!"

Not willing to take any chances of getting separated, he grabbed on to his companions' wrists, fleeing in his usual ungainly run. He changed their path several times, once even doubling back in the hopes of throwing their pursuers off of their trail.

Somehow, they managed to make it back to the TARDIS; the Doctor practically shoved them both inside before following and locking the doors.

"Are you both alright?!" he asked.

"I… I think so…" Zoe said, exhausted.

The Doctor looked to Jamie, who could only manage a nod. The Gallifreyan looked alarmed at the sweat pouring down the Scot's face and quickly refilled the water canteen, handing it back to him.

"Drink up."

Jamie nodded again, grateful for the cold water. Zoe got to her feet after making sure he was okay and stood beside the Doctor at the console.

"Are we leaving?" she asked.

The Doctor looked at the readings on the console, his face falling.

"We couldn't, even if we wanted to," he said, flipping the dematerialization switch in vain. "It's just as I feared—between the loss of time energy in the vortex and the intake of the water, the TARDIS can't go."

"Is it because of me?" Jamie asked, joining them now. "I mean… Have I made things worse? …If there's anything I could do—"

"No, no, no," the Doctor said, placing his hands on Jamie's shoulders again. "The amount of time energy in your cells would not be able to have such an impact on the TARDIS. With you, my major concern is both the danger of dehydration and the dangers of foreseeing the future."

"You never did explain why that was a bad thing," Zoe said.

"If you give me a moment, I shall," the Doctor promised. "But, right now, I wish to test a little theory I have that may solve both of Jamie's problems in one go if I am correct in my reasoning."

"Aye? What's that?"

To Jamie and Zoe's utter astonishment, the Doctor pulled a gun from one of his pockets. Jamie yelped and backed away as he pointed it at him.

"Doctor, you can't!" Zoe shrieked.

"Oh, _really_—what do you think I am!?" the Gallifreyan exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "It's a _water pistol_."

"Oh…" Zoe said, looking embarrassed.

"Ye could've told me that before ye pointed that at me…" Jamie grumbled. "Hold on… _Why_ are ye pointing that at me?"

"Because, as I said, I am testing a theory," the Doctor explained. "It was your sudden collision with the crystals holding the time energy that caused some of it to displace the water your cells. With that in mind, it's reasonable to suspect that a sudden shock of water may reverse the process."

"Do you really think that will work?" Zoe asked.

"This is a learning experience for me, too, Zoe; I really don't know what will work. But if there's a chance that it might help Jamie, I am most certainly willing to try whatever idea seems feasible. Now then, Jamie, are you ready?"

"Do I even have a choice…?"

"Jamie, you said you would trust me," the Doctor said, softly. "I'm admitting to you now that I don't really know what I'm doing. But one thing I do know is that helping you is the most important thing right now—even more important than getting off of this planet. Are you willing to try this?"

Jamie nodded.

"Right, then. Here we go. Do try not to blink; I want to try this in your eyes, since that's where the energy seems to be most concentrated…"

Zoe stood and watched as the Doctor fired the water pistol into each of the Scot's eyes. He yelped again each time, and after rubbing the excess water out of them, grabbed for the Doctor's mirror.

"Och, it didn't work," he said, seeing that his eyes were still glowing.

"Yes, I thought that sounded too easy…" the Doctor sighed. "Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained…"

"I don't know," Zoe said. "You seemed to have a good idea. But maybe it's an all-or-nothing sort of thing in this case; the energy may be concentrated in Jamie's eyes, but his other cells would be holding some of it, wouldn't they?"

"Yes…" the Doctor agreed, his eyes narrowing as he came up with another idea. "Perhaps if we saturate as many of his cells with water as we can, that just might be what we need!"

"What do ye mean by saturate?" Jamie asked, not liking the sound of it.

"I mean stand right here and be patient. Zoe, follow me. And grab those buckets we were using earlier back when we were mopping up."

"Oh, no…" Jamie groaned, as he watched them take the buckets. Sure enough, they returned with the buckets filled with water.

The TARDIS suddenly whirred in protest, prompting the Doctor to glance at the console and sigh in exasperation. He motioned for Zoe to wait, and he left the console room again, returning with a small, metal basin.

"Could you stand in that, please, Jamie?"

The Scot threw his hands up in the air in frustration, but obeyed, and then braced himself for the inevitable—

"On 'three,' then, Zoe?"

"Right."

"One… two… three!"

Despite his best efforts to simply grin and bear it, an involuntary curse passed Jamie's lips.

"We ought to wash his mouth out, too," Zoe sniffed.

"Come now, Zoe; he has every right to be upset… I truly am sorry, Jamie. Let's have a look, shall we?"

Jamie brushed the wet hair out of his eyes and glanced back at the Doctor. The Time Lord's face fell slightly.

"No difference?" Jamie asked.

"None that I can see, I'm afraid. Well, so much for my theory…"

"No, I think your theory could still work," Zoe said. "Two buckets of water can hardly be considered saturating his cells. For one thing, we've barely saturated any of them—he had his clothes on the whole time!"

"Oh, yes. Yes, that's quite true. Jamie…"

He trailed off at the utterly indignant look on the Scot's face.

"Er, yes. Perhaps you'd better take a shower, Jamie."

"Oh. Aye, I'll… I'll do that."

He stepped out of the basin with as much dignity as he could salvage and headed down the corridor adjoining the console room.

"And while you're in there, try using soap," Zoe called after him.

"How about ye try closing your mouth once in a while, eh?!"

"That's quite enough!" the Doctor chided them. "We're all on the same side here, after all!"

He sighed as he began to mop up Jamie's trail of footprints.

"Just because he's from the 18th century doesn't mean he has to hold on to their hygiene habits," Zoe said, grabbing a second mop to help him.

"You're not giving him enough credit," the Doctor said. "He's had to make several adjustments since leaving his time—and you weren't here to witness most of them! And he is, at least, taking daily showers now."

"Which are useless if he's not using soap!"

"Why is this bothering you all of a sudden?"

"Oh, it's not the soap that's bothering me," she admitted. "It's this whole mess. I'm worried about those men—and why we were attacked by them. But then there's Jamie, and… I'm so worried about him."

"I thought as much," the Gallifreyan said. "So am I. You know the real reason I'm insisting on his drinking all that water?"

"No. Why?"

"If he gets too dehydrated, his cells might become unstable with the time energy in them—and break down."

"Oh, Doctor!"

"Yes, I know."

"You should tell him! His life is depending on this! Oh, you know how he is; he's liable to try going on as long as he can without water just to prove his own endurance, or some other foolish reason!"

"And I fully intend to tell him," the Doctor promised. "I'm just waiting for the right chance. He has plenty to worry about now as it is; you heard him—he thinks he's making the situation worse."

"Is he?"

"Of course not! What I said is true—his problem has no bearing on the problems in the Vortex."

"Well, that's good to know, at any rate," Zoe sighed. "I guess that means that things couldn't possibly get any worse, right?"

A loud hammering on the TARDIS doors cause them both to stare in that direction; angry shouting and laser fire were also audible, and the Doctor winced.

"Zoe, my dear, I wish you hadn't said that…"


	5. Lost in Scenes of Smoke Filled Dreams

Zoe backed away from the TARDIS doors, startled.

"Oh, Doctor, what do we do!?"

"Nothing," the Time Lord said, after looking over the console and assessing the situation. "Fortunately, I remembered to lock the doors; we're quite safe from them."

"Do you mean to tell me that those doors can keep out an angry mob like that?" Zoe asked, amazed.

"Next time you see Genghis Khan, ask him."

Zoe stared at him in amazement.

"That's incredible!"

"Yes, isn't it?" the Doctor said, though he still looked worried. "Unfortunately, there's every chance in the world that they'll just sit outside and wait for us to exit. And if they get too tired, they'll bring a new squad to take their place."

"Well, the good news is that we have everything we need here to survive," Zoe said. "Unfortunately, with the Vortex the way it is, we can't dematerialize and get out of here. And if they won't let us out, we can't try to fix it—and then we're _really_ in trouble!"

"You have illustrated our situation very well," the Doctor intoned.

Zoe thought for a moment.

"I suppose I could just run out there and try to lead them away; that will give you a chance to go back to the weather machine and—"

The Doctor gently placed a finger over her lips.

"Don't even think about it," he said. "If anyone is going out there to deal with that crowd, it shall be me."

"But, Doctor—"

"Don't fret," he assured her. "I'm sure this is all a large misapprehension on their part; once I explain that we just happened to wander past that machine quite by chance and that we mean no harm, I'm sure they'll understand and leave us alone."

"Let's hope so…"

The Doctor headed back towards the console and was about to unlock the doors when a loud _thud_ echoed from down the corridor, startling him.

"What was that!?" Zoe exclaimed.

"…I don't know!" the Doctor replied. "It sounded like something falling, but I can't imagine…" He trailed off, his eyes widening. "Jamie!"

"Oh, dear!"

They found him, clad in a towel, having collapsed halfway into the corridor. He was conscious, but wasn't aware of their presence at all—and his eyes were still glowing brightly with the energy from the Vortex. But, more than that, he was clearly in distress, trembling as he clawed at the ground.

"He's having another vision!" the Doctor realized. "Jamie! Jamie, can you hear me!?"

"Trying to saturate his cells with water didn't help," Zoe said, discouraged. "What if he's like this forever?"

"There have to be other ways," the Doctor said. "But, right now, I am more concerned with what he's seeing; it clearly must be very disturbing…" He placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder, hoping that a familiar presence would help snap him out of it. "Jamie!"

"Fire…" the Scot gasped, clawing at the ground. "Have to… get away."

"There is no fire, Jamie!" the Doctor assured him. "You're quite safe. Can you hear me, Jamie? Listen to my voice—focus!"

"…Doctor…?"

"Yes, that's right! Keep focusing!"

But Jamie only seemed to grow more worried.

"Have to… save him…"

"Save who?"

"The Doctor…"

"…But I'm right here, Jamie! I'm fine!"

"The fire!" the Scot cried. "He's in the fire!"

"I'm in the… oh, dear…" He pushed that thought aside. "Jamie! Jamie, wake up! Just shut your eyes and listen to me—"

Zoe had darted back to the console room, but now returned with the metal basin that Jamie had been standing in earlier when they had poured the water on him. In one quick movement, she threw the water that was in it, soaking both Jamie and the Doctor. The Doctor yelped in surprise, but the water did bring Jamie around. The Scot gasped as he became aware of his surroundings again, the glow in his eyes subsiding and being restricted to his pupils once again.

"I'm sorry…" Zoe said. "It was the only thing I could think of…" She also cast a nervous glance at the ceiling as she realized just how much water she had gotten on the floor. "Sorry…"

"That's quite alright, Zoe; it worked…" the Doctor said, good-naturedly pulling the wet strands of hair out of his eyes. "Are you feeling better, Jamie?"

"Aye, I…" Jamie trailed off as he remembered what he had seen, and he looked up at the Doctor in horror. "No!"

The Doctor's face fell.

"What did you see?"

"The fire!" the piper cried. "Ye're trapped in the fire!"

"Start from the beginning," the Doctor said, gently, as he held Jamie's shoulder in a reassuring grip again.

"I donnae quite know…" Jamie said. "I… I started seeing a fire… and then it grew and grew… And the room changed—it was a rickety, wooden building, with machines and things stored in it…"

"A warehouse of some kind?"

"Aye, that. And the fire grew and grew… And then I saw ye—chained to one of the machines. All alone. And the fire was getting closer and closer to ye… Someone had chained you up there and left ye to burn!"

"It must be that mad crowd out there!" Zoe gasped. "So much for them being understanding after an explanation of things!"

"Mad crowd?" Jamie asked. "Ye mean those mercenaries who were after us back at the machine!?"

"Exactly! They're outside right now, trying to get inside the TARDIS. The Doctor says that they can't get inside, but…"

"I assure you, they can only get inside if I let them!" the Doctor insisted.

"Even so, you can't possibly try to talk to them, knowing what they've got in store for you!" Zoe said.

"Eh!?" Jamie asked.

"He was going to go out there and try to talk to those horrible men!" Zoe said.

Jamie looked to the Doctor in shock.

"Aye, well," Jamie sighed. "At least now ye know not to go oot there and talk to them, eh?"

But the Doctor looked solemn as he glanced from Jamie to Zoe.

"Actually…" he said. "Now I _have_ to go and talk to them."

"_What_!?" they chorused.

"But ye can't!" Jamie exclaimed, grabbing the Doctor's shoulders and shaking him slightly. "Have ye gone mad!? Don't ye understand what I saw!? I don't even know if ye'll make it oot of that alive or nae!"

"I understand perfectly, Jamie," the Doctor said, calmly. "And now I need you to understand something. What you saw… it isn't a warning for me to avoid a situation. What you saw is something that _must_ happen."

"No…" Jamie said, shaking his head slowly.

"This is what you meant, isn't it?" Zoe asked, quietly. "About precognition not being a blessing?"

"Yes, Zoe, I'm afraid so," he said. "Time travel is a highly complicated thing. There are rules. And among those rules is the fact that you cannot, under any circumstances, change history."

"But this is nae history!" Jamie said. "It's the future!"

"If you'll give me a moment, I'll make the comparison," the Doctor said. "The reason why you cannot change history is because history is something that is known to have happened. To change it could damage the fabric of space and time. Precognition of the future acts in the same way; you know of an event, so it must happen. To try to change it or to try to stop it from happening will result in the same damage. The Time Vortex is already badly damaged as it is, one little paradox could be all it takes to push everything to the critical point. And everything we know would be destroyed."

"So… we'll have to say goodbye either way?" Zoe asked, softly.

"We don't know that," the Doctor said. "As Jamie said, we don't know what will happen to me." He gave a lopsided smile. "Why, I might end up using my brilliant ingenuity to get out of that fire in five minutes!"

But Jamie and Zoe couldn't smile back; they were both far too worried. Even though they knew the Doctor had a knack for getting in and out of trouble on a regular basis, there was always the fear that his luck would eventually run out.

"Are ye sure there's no other way?" Jamie asked. The vision he had seen was not leaving his consciousness now. The Doctor certainly hadn't looked confident in his vision; if anything, he had looked on the verge of panic.

The Doctor considered Jamie's words, and then the description of his vision. If the absolute worst did happen, a well-aimed blast of regeneration energy could compromise the chain—if not the entire warehouse itself. From there, escape would be possible. Of course, regeneration was something he had a strong desire to avoid; hopefully, there would be some other way out.

"It's going to be alright, Jamie," he promised. "I don't know what's going to happen—and there are plenty of things that can happen. But I can promise you that I'll find some way out of it, even if it takes drastic measures—"

A loud, deep _clungg_, echoing through the corridors of the TARDIS, interrupted him. Zoe and Jamie both clutched at the Doctor's arms in fright as a second _clungg_ echoed again. Then another. Then another.

The Doctor's previously confident expression vanished, and was replaced by one of absolute dread.

"Oh, no…" he said, as the same sound continued to repeat, over and over again. "No, no, no…"

"What _is_ it?" Jamie asked, cringing. The sound seemed to reverberate right through him with every chime.

"The TARDIS's Cloister Bell," the Doctor said. "This is her way of telling us that time and space are in imminent peril." He held his companions close, no longer fearing for himself. "We're running out of time—in every sense of the phrase."


	6. Minds Have Slowed

Salamander had spent the last several hours pacing his office. The Doctor's presence unnerved him; his double had cost him everything once before, and it was well within his power to do it again. And he hated it—hated the Doctor, and hated being afraid of him. There had to be some way—_some way_—that would give Salamander power… Something that would ensure that the people of Neo Serenity would listen to him, and not the Doctor…

Salamander gave a start as the phone on his desk rang; the display announced that it was the leader of the squad he had ordered to go to the mountains.

"Yes?" he asked, desperate for news. "Have you got them?"

"No, Mr. Salamander," the Squad Leader said, apologetically. "There were three of them—the impostor, a girl, and a Scots boy. We had almost apprehended them when the impostor and the girl used some sort of martial art on us."

"_What_!?"

The Doctor having used martial arts hadn't surprised him, but he hadn't expected that girl—Waterfield, wasn't it?—to have had such pluck.

"We retreated and returned with reinforcements," the Squad Leader continued. "But… something odd happened."

"Odd?" Salamander repeated. "I ask you to bring me prisoners—not to gawk at odd happenings!"

"It was that Scots boy, Mr. Salamander," the Squad Leader said, a tremble evident in his voice. "There's something… odd about him. His eyes… They weren't normal, Mr. Salamander. They were glowing; I'd seen that glow before—in the crystals."

Salamander's eyebrows arched.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked.

"That boy has an unnatural glow in his eyes, just like in the crystals," the man explained. "And it seemed to give him some amount of foresight—he was able to predict the exact moment and location of a lightning strike. They used that knowledge to escape from us."

Salamander mulled over this, and then exhaled as an idea finally came to him.

"Where are they now?" he asked.

"They have taken refuge inside a blue, wooden box," the Squad Leader said. "We have been trying to break in without success."

"I suggest you abandon any attempts to break in; you will not succeed," Salamander said. "Instead, have some of your men guard the weather machine and the crystals."

"You think they will return?" the Squad Leader asked.

"I am certain of it," Salamander replied. "Now, listen carefully to my instructions. There is also a chance that they may try to enter the city. Before that happens, there should be wanted posters of the Scots boy spread all over the city—with the citizens instructed to turn him in to the authorities, should they see him. What you have just told me confirms what I have suspected for the longest time—that this boy is responsible for the drought! He must have been hiding in the mountains for a long time, sabotaging the weather machine! Be sure to spread the word about him."

"At once, Mr. Salamander," the Squadron Leader said. "But what about the impostor? And the girl?"

"If you can apprehend them, as well, then do so. But the boy should be the main focus—capturing him will result in the other two surrendering soon enough."

"Understood, Mr. Salamander. Your instructions will be followed to the letter."

"See that they are," Salamander said, and he ended the call without another word.

He resumed his pacing, although now, he was not as nervous as he was before. He had the upper hand this time—turning the entire populace against that McCrimmon boy would shatter any attempts for the Doctor to try to sway the people to his side. And with this odd glow in the boy's eyes, apparently identical to the crystals, the people would have no hesitation in blaming him for the drought.

Salamander had found the perfect scapegoat.

* * *

Zoe cringed as the Cloister Bell continued to toll.

"It's nae stopping!" Jamie exclaimed, shouting to make himself heard over it.

The Doctor continued to hold the both of them close.

"It won't," he said, simply. "Not until the problem with the Vortex is fixed."

"Then we need to go back to the machine right away and fix the problem," Zoe said. "I'm sure we can work out what's wrong if we can gain access to that machine…"

The Doctor sighed.

"I don't know if I'll be able to," he said. "Depending on how long they'll keep me in that warehouse… Now don't look at me like that—it's going to be fine…" He trailed off, trying to clear his throat of the growing lump. Even if he managed to escape the fire with just a regeneration, the fact of the matter was that this could very well be the last time that he would look upon Jamie and Zoe with this face.

And that knowledge hurt.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Zoe asked.

"Not right now," the Doctor said. "It… It's not safe for you out there. I don't want you two locked up in that warehouse with me."

"Maybe I was wrong…" Jamie said, now grasping at straws. "Maybe… maybe I had fallen asleep and I was dreaming e'erything that I saw! It… it was all just a nightmare… just a bad dream…"

The Doctor gave him a sad smile.

"I think we both know that it isn't."

Jamie looked to the ground for a moment, cringing as the Cloister Bell continued to toll, before looking back at the Doctor.

"This is all my fault, isn't it?" he asked.

"Of course it's not!" the Doctor insisted.

"If I had nae seen it, ye wouldn't have to resign to this," the Scot said.

The Doctor searched in vain for words of comfort, but could find none; the truth of the matter was that the future would have remained in flux if Jamie hadn't foreseen it. Now it was fixed.

"I don't want to hear you blaming yourself, Jamie," he said, at last. "Just trust in my ability to pop in and out of trouble."

Neither Jamie nor Zoe looked convinced.

"Ye're sure we cannae go with ye?" Jamie asked.

"Now why would you want to go and get yourself locked up in a burning warehouse?" the Doctor replied.

"You do," Zoe pointed out.

"Well, I don't have choice in the matter; what must happen, must happen—but there's no need for you to be in danger, too!"

"And I want to make sure that ye're going to be alright," Jamie said. "I really think I should go with ye."

"And I'm instructing the both of you to stay here," the Doctor said, firmly. "Now, please! There's no time for this; we have to act fast! …Well, I have to act, at any rate. Look after each other. And Zoe?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure that Jamie stays hydrated; I don't want to have to worry about him in addition to all of this!"

"Right," she said.

Jamie looked away again; he knew the Doctor hadn't meant anything by it, but, still, the words did sting. And the words did nothing to try to alleviate the Scot's worries that he was to blame for this, even if only slightly.

The Doctor still held on to each of their arms as he led them back to the console room, indicating part of the console.

"This button here controls the doors remotely… Yes, well, you know all about that on account of your wanderings, don't you?"

He was trying to lighten the mood, but Jamie and Zoe continued to look back at him, somberly. He sighed and continued.

"I want you to wait until I give you the word, and then open the doors—and close them immediately after I leave; I don't want them coming in here and hurting the two of you, too," he instructed.

Jamie and Zoe nodded.

"Right," the Doctor said. "There's no time to lose…"

He started to walk towards the doors, but Jamie suddenly dashed across the room, clutching the Doctor's arm.

"Doctor…"

The Gallifreyan shut his eyes briefly, trying not to betray any emotions; he opened them again after a moment and turned back to face the Scot, gently placing a hand on the side of his face.

Zoe hesitated, but walked over to them, as well; the Doctor placed his other hand on the side of her face.

"Until we meet again," he said.

He backed away from them, slowly, and they backed away towards the console, not taking their eyes off of each other.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"No," Jamie said. "But we donnae have a choice, do we?"

"No, I… I'm afraid we don't. Right, then—on three. One… Two… Three!"

Zoe ignored the unsure feelings she had and hit the button to open the doors. The Doctor dashed outside the TARDIS, and suddenly shouted to them.

"Hold it!" he said. "Hold everything! Don't close the doors!"

"What is it!?" Zoe said. "What's wrong!?"

"There's nobody here!"

Both she and Jamie exchanged glances, and then headed for the doors themselves. Zoe tutted as she silently indicated to Jamie that he was still wearing only a towel; the Scot responded with a shrug, and he and Zoe joined the Doctor outside.

Sure enough, the entire area was deserted.

"Where did they all go?" Jamie wondered aloud.

"I don't know," the Doctor said. "…Of course, it would end up this way, would it? When you want to be captured, you can't…"

"Forgive us if we don't share in yer disappointment," Jamie said. "I'm in no hurry to see ye captured by that crowd of mercenaries. Maybe this is a good sign—that what I saw was wrong."

"I'm afraid not, Jamie. And standing around here wondering where they've gone isn't an option," the Doctor said. "I need to get myself captured."

"Oh, can't you worry about that after we resolve the problem with the Vortex?" Zoe asked.

"If we have any hope of stabilizing the Vortex, this has to happen first," the Doctor explained. "I'll explain in detail when I return."

"If ye return," Jamie said, quietly.

For a moment, the Doctor did contemplate explaining the concept of regeneration to his two companions. But he knew that he was on borrowed time as far as the Vortex stabilization was concerned.

He would just have to hope that he could escape the fire without regenerating. And if that wasn't the case… he'd have to hope that Jamie and Zoe would be accepting of the person he would turn into.

"_When_ I return," he stated, firmly.

He paused, very briefly, to look upon their faces one more time before ushering them back inside the TARDIS.

"Do close the doors," he said. "I have my key; don't open the doors for anyone—understood?"

"Yes, Doctor," Zoe said.

"And remember, Jamie—plenty of water."

Jamie just gave a nod; despite the Doctor's insistence that he would return, the sheer look of terror that had been on the otherworldly man's face in the vision Jamie had suggested otherwise.

The Scot tried very hard not to betray his worry as the Doctor headed off in search of his would-be captors, stopping to give them one last wave goodbye.

"Do ye really think we'll see him again?" he asked.

"I don't know," Zoe said, honestly.

Without another word, they watched the Doctor vanish into the hazy distance.


	7. Pay the Dancer

The Doctor was spared from a long walk to town when, after starting his journey on foot, he happened upon some of the hovercrafts that the crowd of mercenaries had left behind. It was still a puzzle as to why they had left so abruptly, but with only a finite amount of time with which to get captured, hopefully escape, and reverse the damage to the Vortex, he didn't question it; he immediately activated one of the hovercrafts and headed towards the lights of the city.

Even though he was focused on heading for the city, there was the lingering doubt of what would happen once he got there. He certainly didn't _want_ to regenerate, of course, but there was something that worried him greatly if that ended up happening; he remembered how Ben and Polly had reacted when he regenerated for the first time, after what had happened with the Cybermen—how they hadn't even believed who he was at first, despite the fact that he had changed right in front of their eyes. Would Jamie and Zoe ever believe it was still him if he changed—especially if they never even saw it? Would they accept him? And what would he do if they didn't?

Of course, that was all dwarfed by the larger problem at hand. He had to get in and out of that blaze in time; if the continuum collapsed because he was too late, it wouldn't matter how many regenerations he had left. And it wasn't just himself who would suffer from the collapse; Jamie and Zoe would, too, as would anyone else he had ever known and loved. Having Jamie and Zoe upset and distrusting of his next regeneration was preferable to losing them in this manner.

He exhaled, convinced that he had made the right decision. And, of course, in order for this decision to prove fruitful, he had to get captured.

One he arrived within the city limits, he found it fairly easy to ease into the lane of other one-seater hovercrafts, who took no notice of him. Hovercrafts seemed to be the choice method of transportation in Neo Serenity—larger units were used to transport families and couples in the multi-seater lanes. In his lane, the Doctor wasn't moving as quickly as the others; he contemplated merging into one of the other lanes. He knew that this was more than likely illegal, but considering that his end goal was to be captured, he decided that it was well worth the maneuver.

He had just been about to make the lane change when he began to notice posters stuck to lampposts and street signs.

"Hello, what's this…?" the Doctor murmured.

The posters were everywhere, but the lampposts weren't close enough for him to get a good look at them. He soon left the main road altogether when he found the chance, turning onto the streets of downtown Neo Serenity. As he approached the nearest lamppost, he pulled the hovercraft over to the side of the street and switched it off.

The paper had folded over by a breeze, and he walked over to it, folding it back. And a breath caught in his throat.

A sketch of Jamie stared back at him from the paper; the word "WANTED" was printed above the piper's image.

"_What_…?" the Doctor asked, stunned.

Speechless, he read the description below Jamie's sketch.

_James McCrimmon  
Wanted for sabotage and conspiracy against the City of Neo Serenity.  
Likely to be found in the company of a man called the Doctor and a girl called Victoria Waterfield. McCrimmon has been sabotaging the weather machine by means of stealing energy from the open portal, and he is responsible for the current drought as a result; there is a reward for information leading to the capture of McCrimmon and his compatriots_.

The Doctor began to pace the pavement, running his hands through his hair as he attempted to try to make sense of the situation.

"He hasn't done a thing!" the Doctor exclaimed aloud, to no one in particular. "Why would they accuse him of sabotage and conspiracy and have the gall to blame him for the drought!?"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"…And how would they know our names?" he asked.

He turned back towards the wanted posted, rereading it again a few more times. At last, he finally took notice of the glowing mistake on it.

"Victoria…" he murmured. "Not Zoe—_Victoria_."

He gripped the lamppost to steady himself; he was shaking from the sudden realization of the significance of Victoria's name being dragged into the picture.

"This is personal—a vendetta," he realized. "Whoever is behind this knew Jamie and myself while Victoria was still traveling with us… But who? Klieg is dead… The Great Intelligence?"

A look of fear crossed his face and he ducked into the shadows of an alley and now peeked out, looking for Yetis.

"Of course…" he sighed. "Since the Intelligence did escape, it would want to lure me into another trap…"

He trailed off again, realizing that there were no signs of Yetis around—the people of the city were milling around as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"No…" he breathed. "It's not the Intelligence. The Intelligence wouldn't have made such a mistake—it would've possessed enough eyes and ears to have had one of those mercenaries at the crystals under its direct control. And if it had done that, it would've seen Zoe and known she was not Victoria. But then who…?"

The Doctor looked back in the direction he had come from. Even from where he was standing, he could see the swirling, open Vortex.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…" he said. "The Time Vortex… the weather machine… It could only be…" He glanced down, staring at his reflection in a discarded glass bottle. "…Salamander."

He scrambled backward.

"Oh… oh, goodness me! I'm in the wrong place! I need to fix the Vortex first and _then_ worry about that fire!"

The Doctor now ran back out of the alley, intending to get back on the hovercraft and head back out to the weather machine, but he froze in his tracks upon seeing that the hovercraft was not where he left it.

"Oh, now, this _is_ ridiculous!" he exclaimed aloud. "They've stolen my stolen hovercraft!"

"I would not advertise your thievery at such loud volumes, Doctor. You are merely incriminating yourself of further crimes. And aiding and abetting a saboteur is a serious enough crime as it is."

The Doctor froze upon hearing the voice. Slowly, he turned to see a man with a face that was practically his reflection. Salamander stood with his arms folded, a smug expression on his face. He was flanked by a squadron of his mercenaries—dressed the same way as the squad that had attacked them at the weather machine.

"Good to see you again, Doctor."

"There's no need to lie for my sake, Salamander."

"Oh, but it is not a lie, Doctor—it truly is good to see you like this…" Salamander replied. He snapped his fingers, and the mercenaries trained their weapons on the Doctor. "…Under arrest."


End file.
